Wood is often an integral part of levee repair and other flood protection projects. The wood helps to slow the water, which dissipates and redirects the energy of the river. Over time, this helps to move the main current away from the vulnerable bank.

Large wood is a critical element of river habitat for salmon and other species.

Federal, state and local permit requirements often require wood placement as mitigation at the site of in-water construction, such as levee repair.

Why is large wood placement sometimes done on the outside bend of a river? The outside bend of a river is where we typically see eroding banks. Thus, this is where flood protection facilities are commonly located in order to prevent erosion and damage to land and infrastructure. Log structures can be constructed on outside bends to redirect the river away from eroding banks and to increase habitat for fish and wildlife.

Is the wood in our rivers mostly placed wood or is it natural wood?It is a normal and natural part of northwest ecosystems for rivers to have large amounts of wood in them. The vast majority of wood in King County rivers is natural, having entered the river through bank erosion, wind-throw and other natural phenomena. Placed wood is a small fraction of the wood in our rivers.

Has anyone died as a result of encountering placed large wood in King County rivers? There have been no known deaths as a result of wood placed by King County. There were on average three river drowning deaths annually (compared to 11 annually in lakes), according to data from the King County Medical Examiner and Public Health -- Seattle & King County regarding preventable deaths by drowning from 1996-2006. None pf the deaths were attributed to large wood during this 10-year period. According to the same document, most cases of drowning could have been prevented through the use of a personal floatation device (PFD), child supervision, avoiding alcohol consumption near bodies of water, and other safety measures.

Are inner tubers and other boaters required to wear PFDs on rivers in King County?No. Children age 12 and younger must wear a PFD on any vessel less than 19 feet in length when under way on the waters of the State of Washington (with limited exceptions). However, inner tubes and small rafts are not defined as vessels under state law. Also, under Washington State law, licensed whitewater outfitters must provide PFDs to passengers in hired vessels.

While a temporary King County ordinance was passed in June 2011 requiring the use of a U.S. Coast Guard approved personal flotation device (PFD) on all major King County rivers, the ordinance expired October of that same year. The ordinance was proposed because river flows were unusually high, cold, and swift that year as a result of large snowpack melting off the mountains late into the season.